Filing-cabinet.



L. OLTON.

FILING CABINET.

APPLICATION FILED mums, 1912.

1,059,198. Patented Apr. 15,, 1913.

INVENTOR Z: am/ran ca 0150);,

A TTORNE Y WITNESSES 5 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LAWRENCE OLTON, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO MICHAEL DI PAOLO, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

FILING-CABINET.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LAWRENCE OLTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Filing- Cabinets, of which the following is a specification. p

This invention provides for the storing of papers in a manner to admit of a particular paper being quickly obtained for reference and which at the same time provides convenient means for the accumulation of current papers which are kept separate from those of a previous period which are not required for frequent reference.

The invention contemplates a cabinet in which papers covering given periods are stored and protected from dust and which cabinet at the same time forms a support for the papers accumulating during the current period.

A further purpose, of the invention is the provision of a holder of novel structure to be used in conjunction with the file and cabinet for receiving the papers covering a given period, said holder keeping the papers of one period separate and apart from the papers of any other period while admitting of any desired paper of such period being readily obtained for reference or other purose.

p The invention consists of the novel features, details of construction and combination of parts, which hereinafter will be more particularly set forth, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawing, forming a part of the specification, Figure lis a front view of a file cabinet embodying the invention, the door of the cabinet being open. -Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section, the door of the cabinet being closed. Fig. 8 is a top plan view. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the holders, the dotted lines showing the end portions of the body members bent outwardly into the position which they assume when confining a pile of papers upon the holder.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description, and indicated in all the views of the drawing, by the same reference characters.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed .Tune 26, 1912.

Patented Apr. 15, 1913.

Serial No. 706,057.

The invention in its specific adaptation is designed for use ofdruggists for filing doctors prescriptions, although it may be used for filing receipts, recipes and papers generally, which are required to be kept in order and to which reference is to be made at future times.

The invention embodies a cabinet 1 which may be of any type and dimensions according to the particular nature of the papers to be stored or filed therein. The front of the cabinet is open throughout its length and is closed by means of a door 2. The top of the cabinet is removable and is slidable in guides 3 formed at the upper ends of the sides of the cabinet. The top 4 is provided at its front edge with a knob 5 to be conveniently grasped when it is required to draw the top outwardly. A cross piece 6 extends over the door 2 and serves to connect the upper forward corners of the side pieces of the cabinet. This cross piece 6 may also form a support for the front portion of the top 4. A slot 7 is formed in the top 4 and extends from a central point through the rear edge of the top. The slot 7 provides a passageway for the file 8 and admits of the top 4 being drawn outwardly and pushed inwardly.

The file 8 consists of a stout wire or slender rod and its lower end is stepped into a socket 9 provided in the bottom of the cabinet at a central point. The file 8 extends through the cabinet and above the top of the same some distance to receive the prescriptions, receipts, bills, or other papers covering a given period, whether daily, weekly, or monthly. The papers of the current period are received upon the file above the top of the cabinet and at the end of the period the papers are confined in a pile or bundle and are dropped upon the file S into the cabinet. For this purpose the top 4 is moved outwardly so as to clear the pile of papers and after such pile has dropped upon the file into the cabinet the top 4 is moved backwardly into position to receive the papers covering the next period.

The papers, the prescriptions, bills, 'or the like, accumulating in a given period are bound together to hold them in order and to prevent the mixing of the papers of one period with those of another period. For this purpose holders. are employed and are slipped upon the file 8, a holder being provided for all the papers of one period. The holder is shown most clearly in Fig. 4 and comprises a base 10 and a slender body, the latter preferably comprising members 11 which are arranged to extend along opposite sides of the file 8, the extremities of the members being pointed and coming close against the sides of the file 8 to insure the papers placed upon the file passing upon the holder. The body and the base 10 are preferably of integral formation, the portions of the body members 11 being bent to extend over end portions of the base 10, thence extending at a right angle to said base so as to come upon opposite sides of the file 8. The base 10 is oblong and is provided with a central opening 12 to receive the file 8, said opening being in line wit-h the space formed between the members 11 of the body. The holder is slipped upon the end portion of the file 8 projecting above the top 4 of the cabinet and the papers placed upon the file pass upon the holder, as indicated mostclearly in Figs. 1 and 2. After the holder has received all the papers covering a given period the ends of the members 11 are bentoutwardly to extend over the pile of papers, as indicated most clearly in Figs. 1 and 4, thereby confining the papers between the base 10 and the oppositely bent ends of the members 11. The papers thus confined form a package or bundle and upon pulling the top 4 outwardly the pile of papers slip downwardly upon the file 8 into the cabinet. The top 4: is replaced, after, which a new holder is slipped upon the projecting end of the file 8. As indicated in Figs. 1 and 2 the papers of the several periods are bound into bundles or packages and are kept separated. iVhen it is required to obtain a particular paper of a given period the door 2 of the cabinet is swung open and after the package containing the papers to be obtained has been located the file 8 is moved upwardly until the pile containing the desired paper is released, after which the package is removed, the desired paper being obtained by bending the confining ends of the members 11 back into normal position when the papers above that to be obtained may be lifted. The holder may be slipped upon the upper end of the file 8 or upon a wire or other file during the separation of the papers to admit of reference being had to the required paper. This it will be understood is a matter of convenience, the construction of the holder admitting of any paper upon a holder being inspected and the several papers replaced when it is required to return the pile of papers to the cabinet.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and of the method of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation of the invention, together with the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative, and that such changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new, is

1. A file cabinet comprising a cabinet having a movable top and a side opening, and a file supported upon the bottom of the cabinet and passing therethrough and through the top of the cabinet, the projecting end of the file receiving the current papers and the lower portion of the file and the cabinet receiving the papers to be stored for future reference.

2. Means for storing papers, the same comprising a cabinet having a movable top provided with a slot extending outwardly through an edge thereof, and a tile removably supported upon the bottom of the cabinet and passing through the latter and through the slot in the top, the projecting portion of the file receiving current papers and said top forming a support therefor.

3. Means for storing papers, the same comprising a cabinet having a movable top, a file supported within the cabinet and extending through the top thereof, and a holder for the papers mounted upon the file and adapted to be supported thereon above the cabinet by means of the said movable top.

4. In combination a cabinet having a movable top, a file supported within the cabinet and projecting through and some distance beyond the movable top thereof, and a plurality of holders for the papers mounted upon the file, the holders receiving the papers to be filed being housed within the cabinet and the holder to receive the current papersbeing supported on the file above the cabinet by the said movable top.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LAVRENCE OLTON.

Witnesses SAMUEL C. MILLWARD, FRANK WATERS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

